


Shiny Happy People

by reginahalliwell



Series: Some Kind of Goodbye [4]
Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s04e15 Scene in a Mall, F/M, Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 16:12:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8760025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reginahalliwell/pseuds/reginahalliwell
Summary: In which Jess and Rory are actually happy. Mostly.Set during my alternate late season four--this one takes place in "Scene in a Mall."





	

“Hey,” she answered the phone, seeing who was on the other line.

“You can’t just ‘hey’ me after this morning, young lady.” Lorelai teased, but Rory knew there was real confusion in her voice.

“I know, I owe you an explanation.”

“Big time, missy! How long has this… Jess… thing been going on?”

“Just since yesterday! I promise you would have heard by now if it had been longer. I couldn’t get ahold of you yesterday, and I was really upset, and I ended up at this bookstore coffee shop place, and Jess was there, and we’re sort of—together—now. Again.”

“I’m going to put everything you just said on hold for a minute. I was trying to get ahold of you yesterday, too. Man, we really don’t have this mother-daughter communication thing down, do we?”

“I thought we were doing pretty well until yesterday’s snafu.”

“Do people actually use the word ‘snafu’ or is that one of your swanky Yale words?”

“It’s a normal word, I promise.”

“I don’t know who to believe anymore. Now, what’s all this about Jess? What were you so upset about yesterday?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. He helped put things in perspective, and I’m not so freaked out now. What about you? What were you trying to talk to me about?”

“It’s taken care of. Let’s just say we’re going to have to actually pay at Luke’s for the next millennium to make up for how much he’s helping me out.”

“He lent you money?”

“No. Yes.”

“Well then it doesn’t really matter whether we pay him or not, mom, it’s his money we’d be giving him.”

“Damn you and your Ivy League smarts.”

“Mom?”

“Yeah, hon?”

“I’m really happy.”

“I can tell, kid. Your beau sounded pretty happy too, once the terror left his voice. I wanna hear all about it.”

“I want to tell you all about it. Can we meet for lunch? Maybe somewhere not Stars Hollow or New Haven?”

“Avoidance, huh. I get it. Well, I was actually going to head to the mall today, if you want to go to Manchester or Farmington or something.”

“Ooh, Buckland Hills! Let’s be fancy. They have all the food options there, too.”

“I can’t promise we’ll buy much.”

“That’s alright. Window shopping and chain food it is!”

~

“So, tell me everything. Well, not everything. I don’t know if I want to know ‘everything.’ Just tell me, are you still a virgin?”

“Mom!”

“Well?”

“Nothing happened. Nothing like that.”

“Drat. You’re almost done with your freshman year of college. Miss Patty’s going to be disappointed.”

“Mom!”

“Sorry, continue.”

“We didn’t. But, I think… we might. Soon.”

“Oh boy, déjà vu.”

“Mom, I promise this time Jess and Dean won’t end up in a fight that destroys someone’s home.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m still needing more details, here, hon.”

“You keep interrupting me!”

“Just talk.”

“Fine,” Rory said with a sigh, and explained everything. She must have started to get that glazed look in her eyes because Lorelai’s expression changed from concerned to amused to content. 

“You look happy,” Lorelai commented. “It doesn’t mean I approve. I don’t think this is necessarily the best idea. The guy did abandon you without so much as a ‘goodbye’ and then not contact you for almost a year. And really, even before that, things weren’t so great.”

“I think… I love him, mom.”

“Whoa. Zero to sixty in ten seconds flat.”

“I do. I don’t think I ever stopped. I mean, that’s where things were going before he up and left, and I told him as much when he called me at my graduation, and he loves me, too, mom. I think he’s grown up a lot since then.”

“What, so, toddler to teenager?”

“Mom.”

“Okay, fine. You’re right. Adult Jess could potentially be slightly more mature than high school Jess. By a hair.”

“By more than that. He got his GED, he’s writing a novel, he’s doing all the things I knew he was capable of. I’m proud of him.”

“You should be. I’m sure you’re the reason he’s doing those things. He always did try to be good enough for you.”

“Well it didn’t help that the whole town was looking out for me to make sure he was living up to that.”

“You didn’t ask for that. He knows that. I’m sure I didn’t help. Or your grandmother. God knows she can send boyfriends running out the door with just a look.”

“Oh god, grandma! How was dinner?”

“Oh, kid, I don’t wanna talk about that. Gran was not so kind to me last night. I almost wished for Emily Gilmore’s death glare in that moment.”

“She’s not that bad.”

“You didn’t grow up in that house, Rory. You don’t know how lucky you are.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“You’re just trying to butter me up so I won’t harass your boyfriend.”

“You see right through me.”

“Well I did raise you right,” Lorelai admitted smugly, and then turned to look at their food options. “What are you in the mood for? There’s always the food court, or we could get Sonic if you want to hate yourself. Or we could go fancy and do a sit down lunch like normal people?”

“I don’t care. I’m just thankful you’re going to give Jess a chance.”

“Who said that? I plan to torture him. I may even get Babette involved.”

~

“So how screwed am I?” he asked, smiling impishly. Jess had come over to Rory’s dorm this time, since Paris was at Asher’s. She didn’t usually come home on the nights she spent with him. It wigged Rory out, but if it meant she got a night alone here and there, she would take it.

“Not much. Well, I don’t know. I’m hoping that Luke and I will be able to put in good words on your behalf.”

“And she’ll listen?”

“Well, Luke did just lend my mom quite a large sum of money, so I’m betting she’ll do whatever he wants.”

“Plus he’s in love with her.”

“That, too. I’m pretty sure she’s the only one who doesn’t see it.”

“My family doesn’t seem to have great luck in that department,” Jess commented wryly, thinking of his mother, father, and her latest boyfriend. Who knew if this one would stick?

“I don’t know,” Rory teased. “I would say you’ve gotten pretty lucky. Or you will soon.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Rory Gilmore, was that a sexual innuendo?” he asked, mock-bewildered.

“That’s me, college girl. Making with the drinking and the swearing and the sex.”

Jess laughed, and she blushed. 

“Okay, well, maybe not that last part yet. But I’m thinking that could change in the near future.” She hesitated to meet his eyes as she said it, but he just smiled and leaned in to kiss her.

“You never know these days,” he said. “People ‘hooking up’ and ‘hanging out.’ Who knows what that even means.”

“Careful, Jess, you’re starting to sound like a certain grumpy diner owner I know.”

He pulled her to him and leaned them down on her twin mattress. “Rory, please don’t bring up my uncle if we’re anywhere near a soft surface or I have my hands anywhere besides your hands.”

“What, still reeling from all his rules?”

“Let’s just say I still jump when I hear a door open, even if what I’m doing is completely innocent.”

“I’m sure,” she said, smiling. “Same here, you know. That time my mom caught us made me paranoid for weeks. I don’t think I ever told you, but she almost caught me once,” Rory paused and blushed, searching for the word she wanted and then gave up, hoping he would know what she meant. “In my room.”

“When?” he asked, grinning deviously as he ran his hand down her side, making her skin tingle with his touch.

“After the Distillers concert,” she said, and he understood.

That night, she had been mad at him, and he had felt guilty about everything, and then had seen this great concert. And she felt weird and confused about finding out Dean and Lindsay were dating, and then Jess touched her and it made her think back to her conversation with Lorelai. 

They had gotten her a gynecologist appointment the week after she had admitted she was thinking about having sex with Jess. She got on the pill, and the idea of sleeping with Jess suddenly became very real, and very scary. After the Distillers concert, they had made out in his car for almost an hour, well away from her house or the diner or anywhere someone could barge in on them. 

She remembered the way the leather seats felt under her skin, how he had ground into her, their hands groping everywhere. She was drunk on lust, and he was more than willing to go along with it. 

Then, realizing what was happening, Rory pulled away, embarrassed. She hadn’t ever really had the opportunity to have sex, but now, she could. No one would stop her. She was protected from the scourge of teen pregnancy that had befallen her mother. She felt so much for Jess, all these new special feelings swirling around inside of her. It was too much, and she didn’t know how to deal with it or what he was feeling. She had told him to keep thinking what he was thinking and now she didn’t know how to… how to anything. Was she ready for this? She had told her mother she might be, but was she really?

Rory had ended the evening on an awkward note, both of them feeling hot and bothered and parting unsatisfied. She had started the night so angry at him and ended it feeling like she didn’t ever want to let him go.

When he had dropped her off, she had gone home still feeling that itch, and had ended up lying to Lorelai about where she had been, before she ended up in bed, touching herself under the covers, edging towards some unattainable ecstasy. She had waited until her mother finished the Chinese take-out, but still felt edgy and breathless from their make-out session.

“I remember that night,” he croaked, pulling her out of her reverie.

“I was so mad at you for standing me up,” she said.

“I never did listen to that message.”

“It’s for the best,” Rory admitted, remembering her ire.

“Well, I wouldn’t have minded getting yelled at if it still meant we got to have the rest of that night.”

“It was a great concert,” Rory commented.

“Wasn’t talking about the concert,” he said, and she nodded.

“Well, we have kind of picked up where we left off, you know,” Rory offered, calling to mind the previous night, and that morning.

“Is that a hint, Gilmore?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t throw you out of bed,” she admitted, smiling and pulling him more on top of her.

“Stop talking,” he advised, covering her mouth with his. 

~

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Paris commented, waking them up. “And I suppose I’m glad you didn’t sink to sleeping with some dumb freshman you can talk circles around. At least this one’s well read.”

Rory and Jess looked up at Paris, both glaring at her intrusion. 

“It’s my room too, you know,” she commented, and Rory glared. 

“I don’t think you have any room to judge at this point. You’re sleeping with a professor.”

“Well we both know I have better taste. Although I guess Kerouac here isn’t the worst option for you.”

“Thank you for your opinion on my love life, Paris. Now would you leave us alone?”

“As you were,” she said. “I’m just here to change and grab a book I told Asher he could borrow.”

“Great,” Rory said, as Paris walked back out the door with an outfit and a book she had grabbed.

“So,” Jess began, rubbing his eyes and pushing his hair out of his face. “Paris is still nuts, I see.”

“Worse,” Rory concluded. “But I suppose that’s one down, everyone else in my life to go.”

“I don’t mind the inquisitions, but I would really rather be fully dressed and not—” he looked down at their strewn-about clothing, rumpled sheets, and entwined limbs, “—indisposed, when people you care about see me again.”

Climbing out of bed, Rory put her jeans back on and found the bra she had tossed aside. She found Jess’s pants and tossed them to him as well, smiling as her sat on the edge of her bed and pulled them on.

“As good as the Distillers night?” he asked her, coming over to kiss her ‘good morning.’

“Better,” she said, “since my mother is nowhere to be found.”

“Speaking of your mother, when should I expect Hurricane Lorelai?”

She grimaced. “That’s up to you. I was thinking of going back to Stars Hollow soon to see Lane’s new apartment—she got her own place with Zach and Brian. You could tag along. I usually have to schedule visits with my mom now, but I bet a surprise visit would make her be nicer than a scheduled one. Or, you could always come to Friday night dinner next week. I really want my grandpa to meet you at some point.”

“Ha. That’s not going to happen anytime soon.”

“You know, I somehow knew you were going to say that.”

“Can you blame me?”

“No, not after the swan debacle. But you and my grandpa would really get along. Maybe sometime when my grandma can’t be there.”

“Maybe.”

“So, Lane’s it is?”

“It’s certainly the lesser of the evils.”

“You don’t mind Lane, right?”

“No, she’s fine. The band’s cool. Although I’m sure I’m not Lane’s favorite person after what I did last year.”

“Jess,” she started. 

“I’m not apologizing again, I’m just saying I don’t know how happy she’ll be to see me.”

“She’s my best friend. If I’m happy, she’ll be happy.”

“And you’re happy?” he asked, unsure.

She kissed him in answer.


End file.
